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How could you read a billion threads and not see 13% over and over?
Right on the edge with this, as tour children grow and bring the dog...
ok got it. i've seen 10-15 stated in various threads. i guess i was just wishfull thinking. as for the kids growing up, i hope to have a different tow rig by then. no dogs in the near future. youngest is allergic .
thanks for all the help guys, i really appreciate it.
I understand i am pretty much at the max if not a bit over so with that in mind. i want to make it as comfortable/safe as possible until i get a new TV.
i will have a wd hitch, trailer brake control, won't load as much crap including not filling the water tanks. and try and keep the trailer loaded with weight distributed as best as i can.
should i look at getting airbags, add a leaf, or helper springs?
should i look at getting airbags, add a leaf, or helper springs?
The only purpose of those things is to mask the sagging rear end which is caused by being overloaded. Those things don't add payload capacity or GVWR - they just mask the symptoms of being overloaded. The CAT scale will show you're still overloaded.
But if you're stuck with a tow vehicle that's overloaded over the payload capacity/GVWR when towing, then air bags will allow you to tow at night without blinding oncoming traffic as your headlights aim at the stars. Personally, I don't tow at night unless absolutely necessary. With careful planning, it's rarely necessary.
One thing I don't see here is the gcwr of the vehicle that should also be part of the calculation. When we towed our Jayco 27bh with our 2003 f150 , we were under for the trucks gvwr and under for the tow capacity, but just about max at gcwr. So I got real good at weight distribution, used truck scales at the beginning to get the right balance of cargo to go,where. Also used the Reese dual cam set up back then, no sway.
The only purpose of those things is to mask the sagging rear end which is caused by being overloaded. Those things don't add payload capacity or GVWR - they just mask the symptoms of being overloaded. The CAT scale will show you're still overloaded.
But if you're stuck with a tow vehicle that's overloaded over the payload capacity/GVWR when towing, then air bags will allow you to tow at night without blinding oncoming traffic as your headlights aim at the stars. Personally, I don't tow at night unless absolutely necessary. With careful planning, it's rarely necessary.
yup, i know i cant increase payload capacity. was just wanting to make things a bit more comfy. and i'm with you, i don't think i'll be towing at night any time soon.
One thing I don't see here is the gcwr of the vehicle that should also be part of the calculation. When we towed our Jayco 27bh with our 2003 f150 , we were under for the trucks gvwr and under for the tow capacity, but just about max at gcwr. So I got real good at weight distribution, used truck scales at the beginning to get the right balance of cargo to go,where. Also used the Reese dual cam set up back then, no sway.
One thing I don't see here is the gcwr of the vehicle that should also be part of the calculation.
GVWR, not GCWR, is the limiter when calculating the max weight of ant trailer you can tow without being overloaded. So no need to worry about GCWR. But just for grins, the info is there to determine GCWR, but you have to use that info to look up the GCWR in the RV and Trailer Towing Guide.
OP said "i have 2014 XLT 4x4 Supercrew 5.0L with 3.55 gears 145"WB." So GCWR is 13,500 with tow rating of 7,700. 13,500 minus 7,700 = 5,800, so the tow rating assumes the wet and loaded truck weighs not more than 5,800 pounds when it backs up to the trailer ready to hook up the WD hitch.
Last edited by smokeywren; 06-22-2016 at 10:49 AM.
5,849 lbs. empty truck with fuel + 5,615 empty camper = 11,464 lbs.
13,500 GCWR - 11,464 = 2,036 lbs. remaining for propane, batteries, food, water, gear, people, tools, etc. It adds up more quickly than you might think.
You should be able to load it and stay under the GCWR if you mind the load.
If you won't get a lighter trailer or a more capable truck, you may be towing with the load on the truck being more than the GVWR.
My rig is at 85% of GCWR, 97% of truck GVWR, and 99% of rear GAWR.
This might be a solution to your GVWR shortcoming, IF you can keep it under your GCWR.
we bought the TT listed in first post. filled it up with water and a bunch of stuff to try and get it to a weight that is close to what we will be towing normally. I will be heading to cat scale in a bit to see how close or over i am, but for right now just wanted to drive it around a bit and see how she feels.
the truck seems to be pulling it pretty well. we live in southern california so plenty of highways and mountain roads to try. highways no problem and even though i felt it back there it did pretty well on the hills. the 6 speed tranny really is geared low on those first few gears and helps pull that trailer. didn't notice much if any sway when passing big rigs.
now on to what i do feel when towing. its not much but i do feel a bit of "porpoising" up/down movement when hitting some bumps. would some bilstiens in the back be a good idea? i'm still thinking some airbags, but not sure if that would help any?
06-21-2016, 08:42 PM
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